"The iPad" by Jen Erickson

The iPad made its first appearance April of 2010, and since then, has surpassed the entitlement of a household luxury, and made its way into a typical technology in an American household. To start, the screen of the iPad only appeared black and white; but along with competition with other brands, like the Nook, iPad took it up a notch and presented their product in color. In the New York Times article, "E-Readers With Color Open Door For Pictures" by Julie Bosman, it states, "Some of the most popular children's picture books of all time will be available, including the 'Olivia' picture books..." (Bosman, 2010). This opens up the door to not only appealing to adults, but now to children who can read their books electronically, expanding the revenue for Apple. Compared to today in late 2014, it is expected that the new technological products that come out are in full color and have added features that make them unique to other similar brands. Not only does this create an expectancy for quirks on the product, but it also raises the question of which direction our library system is going with the demand for iPads and Nooks? An excerpt from the same article mentions, " Many iPad users, seeing the potential for the device to be used as an educational tool, have been clamoring for digital children's books to be available in greater numbers". Will our library and print system diminish with time and the growth of iPad products? Today, we are fortunate enough to still utilize physical books and articles, but it is unclear what our print culture will look like in years to come.